Tuesday, September 4, 2012

1933 Goudey Card - Frank O'Rourke

O'Rourke was hired late in the 1931 season by Brewers president Louis Nahin to replace the fired Marty Berghammer.

For much of that season, it was widely reported that Nahin had been trying to pry the third baseman away from the St. Louis Browns, where he had been riding the bench. Never known as a great hitter, O'Rourke had managed to string together a career in the majors for parts of 14 seasons on the strength of his glove.

What wasn't known is that Nahin intended to make O'Rourke his new skipper; other than a few days in charge of the Binghamton Bingoes at the end of the 1919 season (which disbanded immediately thereafter), he had never been a manager at any level.

The new skipper led his Brews to a third place finish in 1932 with an 88-78 record. His club stumbled to 67-87 in 1933, the year O'Rourke was immortalized on this card, good for seventh in the American Association.

After that year, the Brewers were sold and both Nahin and O'Rourke were fired. The skipper was succeeded by Al Sothoron.

The card itself is interesting; issued by the Goudey Gum Company, this 1933 series was the first trading card set to come with bubble gum. Before this, trading cards were premiums given away with candy or cigarettes. With this set, all that would change, and soon the cards themselves would become the draw.

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Chance Michaels is a native New Yorker who spent many of his formative years in Milwaukee and developed a lifelong interest in the region's sporting history. In addition to his work with BorchertField.com, he runs the Green Bay Packers Uniform Database, an ongoing research project devoted to the design history of that other Wisconsin pro team. When not immersing himself in old game programs, wire service photos and newspaper archives, he produces theatre Off-Off-Broadway, and was formerly a contributor to The Onion. He lives in New York City with his family.

Paul Tenpenny was born, raised in and is proud to be a citizen of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Paul lives within walking distance of Miller Park and its predecessor, Milwaukee County Stadium. A lifelong collector of various antiques and collectibles, he specializes in Milwaukee and Wisconsin related Sports and Historic Memorabilia. Paul has been writing articles on Milwaukee Sports collectibles since 2007 and is in his 3rd year of writing his popular Vintage Brew series. An active member of SABR and its local Ken Keltner chapter, his memorabilia has been displayed at both the Milwaukee Historical Society, the Milwaukee Public Library and the Wisconsin State Historical Museum.

Dennis Pajot is a life long resident of Milwaukee, who enjoys as a hobby researching Milwaukee baseball. He is an active member of SABR, both the local Ken Keltner chapter and the national group. His Milwaukee baseball publications include "The Rise of Milwaukee Baseball: The Cream City From Midwestern Outpost to the Major Leagues, 1859-1901" (McFarland & Company, 2009) (Winner - 2010 Sporting News-SABR Baseball Research Award) and "The Greatest Baseball Game Ever Played Anywhere" (Wisconsin Magazine of History, Spring 2009) detailing an 1899 baseball game in Milwaukee between City of Milwaukee officials and State of Wisconsin officials to help the sufferers of a tornado in New Richmond, Wisconsin.

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